Very sad news of the death of Verna Pratt in Alaska.

[Maggi Young]

Very sad news of the death of Verna Pratt in Alaska.
Jaime Rodriguez writes :
" A great botanical light of Alaska has gone out. My mentor and dear friend Verna Pratt died this evening. I feel so privileged to have known her, and learned from her, and strive to be more like her. So kind, generous, and knowledgeable. I imagine her husband Frank greeting her on a sunny, flowery mountain trail. He's been waiting there for her."

Verna - and her late husband Frank - were well known and greatly respected by SRGC members- they gave great talks  around the world and had  lead many people on amazing hikes to see the wildflowers of Alaska.   She will be much missed by many friends around the world.

[Maggi Young]

After a miserable end to 2016 when the Aberdeen SRGC group lost  our oldest member, Margaret Harper at 104, and our former Convenor  and an enthusiastic exhibitor, Bob Maxwell ( no longer living in this area), we returned from the funeral of
another dear pal, a former Aberdeen Show Secretary, Wilf Holmes today to the sad news of  Verna Pratt's passing.
On top of the other SRGC losses in 2016, including Viv Cahambers  and too many others , one does begin to think that  all the news is bad.

 It is a great comfort, however, to  be able to consider all the many people over so many years who have  been taught and enthused by these  friends.  We have much to be thankful for  - but I still hope that 2017 is  not full of such losses.

 

[Maggi Young]

For those who don't know much about Verna and Frank Pratt... here are a few links...
http://alaskawomenshalloffame.org/alumnae/name/verna-pratt/
https://thealaskarange.com/tag/verna-pratt/
http://aknps.org/History.php
http://anchorageparkfoundation.org/2012/07/1103/

[claykoplin]

Sad news indeed.  So fortunate to have spent time with this pioneer of Alaska rock gardening this summer in Cordova and learned so much about my own backyard.  Who knew we had wild apples growing about?  Verna...  God Speed to a mountain meadow where the sun does not set.

[Maggi Young]

Just a few months ago Ian Young was delighted to visit Alaska  at the invitation of  Mayor Clay Koplin of Cordova and the Alaska Rock Garden Society and was so pleased to visit Verna and see her again - and today we all mourn her passing







 Touching to see the many tributes posted for Verna in Facebook

 

[Maggi Young]

Bobby J. Ward has written an obituary of Verna for the NARGS website  :

https://nargs.org/news/2017-01-10/verna-pratt-obituary

[Maggi Young]

The memorial service for Verna Pratt will be at 2 pm Sunday at the Lucy Cuddy Hall on the campus of UAA.

[Maggi Young]

On the 18th March  the Alaska Rock Garden Club will hold  an evening in memory of Verna Pratt. Members are invited to share  their  recollections of that lady and Frank, and all they did for  plants in Alaska .

A research greenhouse  at Alaska Botanic Garden will be named in honour of Verna.

A Facebook page in memory of Verna has been set up  :
From Angelina Michelle :
Hi there. I am Verna Pratt's granddaughter, Angelina. Verna
was a master gardener of Alaska who also had many ties outside.

I've created a page for her timeline and to support her ongoing remembrance. This will be a permanent page and may very likely offer even more at some point in the future. So I'm trying to reach out to as many people as I can and get the word out to those who know her.

Please click the link below to follow Verna's timeline and support her ongoing remembrance. There's also been a group created for people to gather in, which can be found by searching Legacy of Verna Pratt.

Verna E. Pratt - Alaska's own Wildflower Wizard & Mountain Goat     @verna.e.pratt
https://m.facebook.com/verna.e.pratt/

[Maggi Young]

Verna Pratt obituary in the magazine 'Alaska'